Need not, Want not

My grandmother used to say this a lot. So I have decided to live by it as it seems everytime I want something I end up missing out or worse, getting it and losing it. I have everything I need, a roof over my head, food on the table, perhaps not my health but it doesn’t stop me doing most things. I am content with the person I am and am tired of feeling the need to explain myself to others who don’t agree so I have found it better to only spend time around those who are non-judgemental, sadly these are rare gems today. The people you surround yourself with play a much more important role in your life than you would think. Choose these people carefully.

All day everyday we are forced into thinking that we need things that we don’t at all, which makes us want them, which ends up leaving us always wanting more and never happy with what we already have. It’s easy to get sucked into this state of mind, advertisers, the media and the like are very good at what they do. At the end of the day it all comes back to money. Companies have no interest in what you want or in fact need they are just continuously finding ways to fill their pockets.

To be happy with what you have is very simple. Remind yourself how many billions of people in the world are far less fortunate than yourselves. When you’re complaning about a train being 5 minutes late think about those who don’t know where their next meal is coming from. I find a lot of us need a reality check on a much more regular basis these days because we get so consumed in our everyday lives that we don’t stop to think about what’s important.

There are those people who will always put money before anything else, fine let them be. That is their choice in life but you don’t have to follow the crowd. It’s far more important to be who you are or want to be than to be liked by lots of people because you act how you think they want you to be. Once you stop worrying about these shallow people and what others think about you, you will find it very easy to enjoy being you and there are plenty of people out there who will love you just for that. Everyone may not always like you but they will always respect you and those that do not judge you based on one or two actions or perhaps mistakes you have made are the people who are worth being around.

This post has seemed to go on a slight tangent but it’s all relevant. Stop wanting things you don’t need and be the person that you are and you will find everything else fits into place. Stop wanting, however, does not mean stop trying. If you want to be a singer for example, do it because you love it not because you want fame and fortune and you can’t end up disappointed. The road travelled may be long but life really is about the journey because inevitably the destination is death. Not many people want that to come sooner rather than later! If you can’t enjoy what you have now, you won’t enjoy what you have in the future. Stop wanting and start being!